President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says his government is working hard to intensify its strategies of enhanced tracing, testing and treatment (3Ts) of the COVID-19 cases in the country.

The President in his 22nd address to the nation on Sunday, 17 January 2021, stated that it will allow the country to identify infected persons, isolate them and treat them.

"A considerable number of contact tracers are being mobilised to follow up on contacts of all who test positive. All laboratories, public and private, must supply in real-time, data on all persons tested on the common platform established by the Ghana Health Service.

“There will be sanctions against laboratories who fail to comply. We have also provided additional logistics, including vehicles, to the Ghana Health Service for the supervision and monitoring of asymptomatic cases being managed from home,” Akufo-Addo said in his address.

He reiterated that the Government is reactivating available treatment and isolation facilities across the country in anticipation of any further increase in infections.

“The provision of adequate medicines, equipment, and personal protective equipment to enable health workers to attend to home-based patients is being effected,” he noted.

Coronavirus cases in Ghana

The country’s total active case count is 1,924 as of Sunday, January 17, 2021.

Five more persons have succumbed to the virus, pushing the death toll to 346.

The Greater Accra Region, Ashanti, Western, Eastern and Central Regions continue to lead with a high number of infections.

53 persons are in severe conditions with 12 in a critical state.

The Ghana Health Service reports on its website that the Greater Accra Region tops with 881 while the international travellers at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) follow with 455.

In the Greater Accra and Ashanti Regions, the cumulative high numbers of COVID-19-related cases are 32436 and 11,347 respectively. Ghana has had a total of 57,714 cases and 55,592 discharges.

The President stated that the virus is now being recorded in 13 out of 16 countries, and hospital beds are full, from a situation of no COVID-19 cases just about a month ago.